One of the Denver Broncos’ moves over the past few years to fix their offensive line was to sign Graham Glasgow from the Detroit Lions. His field game is strong and brings good versatility, but he may not have a starting job for the 2022 season.
With the plethora of options the Broncos have for their interior offensive line, what is in store for Glasgow?
Biography
Glasgow is only 29 but will turn 30 in August. He was born in Illinois and went a little north and east for college at the University of Michigan.
College career
Glasgow had to fight for his spot on Michigan’s roster as he was initially traded in 2011, but earned a scholarship in the spring of 2013. During his time there, he appeared in 42 games, starting 37. He saw , that he starts acting as a center as well as a guard.
Nine of his 15 starts at center came in 2013, but he was moved to guard for the 2014 season. He started games on both the right and left side and played extremely well.
In the 2014 season, he allowed a total of ten pressures and one sack. However, it received a good rating from ProFootballFocus with an overall grade of 81.7, 82.7 in motion blocking and 75.6 in pass protection.
His final season in 2015 was all under center and he again allowed ten pressures but no sacks. In addition, the ratings from PFF were great, with only one game rated below 60.
Glasgow’s season-long grades were better in run blocking (85.5) and pass defense (76.2), but worse overall (80.9). The dip in his overall performance can be attributed to him receiving eight penalties, with zero penalties in 2014.
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Draft
Glasgow had a promising collegiate career and was considered a late day two/early day three pick. He was invited to the combine, where he had a solid day, testing well in the bench press and vertical jump. His relative athletic score was 8.56 as a guard, but dropped to 7.97 when running as a center.
In the 2016 NFL Draft, Glasgow was the 95th pick that went to the Lions.
Professional career
Glasgow saw the field as a rookie, which was a poor performance. His overall grade was 53.7 and he allowed 30 total pressures and three sacks playing guard and center. However, there were flashes that earned him a starting job for 2017.
In 2017, he saw action at guard and center again and his grades improved. His overall grade went up to 70.6, his run blocking increased nearly 12 points to 66.3, and his pass blocking from 63.1 to 71.8. However, he still allowed three sacks with 26 total pressures.
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For the 2018 season, he settled into one spot as he found himself as the starting center. His overall game settled some as he allowed 15 total pressures and one sack and all of his grades improved again. While he wasn’t considered one of the best interior offensive linemen in the NFL, he was on his way to being above average.
2019 was his final year in Detroit, and he again saw time as a center and guard, though only 84 of his 872 snaps came as a center. He allowed 25 total pressures with zero sacks while his pass blocking rate dipped, but his run blocking overall continued to improve as well.
After the 2019 season, the Denver Broncos brought him in as they needed help on their offensive line and he settled into the right guard position. However, his grades overall dipped for the 2020 season as he allowed 15 total pressures and one sack.
There was no doubt he struggled, but despite that, he was still the Broncos’ second-best lineman. This is due to the way everyone else has struggled this season and Glasgow have been average.
The pressure was on and Glasgow struggled in the 2021 season. While dealing with injuries and other issues before suffering a season-ending injury, he played 384 snaps on offense. During that time, he allowed 13 pressures and two sacks while his grades dropped.
After the season, George Payton restructured his deal to keep him in Denver at least through the 2022 season.
Forecast for 2022
Quinn Meinertz has taken over at right guard from Glasgow but still has a chance to be a starter. However, he is still recovering from injury, so there is a lot of ground to cover.
Glasgow will be part of the competition at the center position, but there may be some issues with his height as he is 6-foot-6. Lloyd Cushenberry has struggled more than Glasgow has the last two years. It’s been a while since Glasgow played a centre, but he can be trusted more easily than Cushenberry.
Glasgow also has a chance to be a starter at left guard. Dalton Risner is the incumbent and current favorite to start, but there are so many moving pieces and he’s not cemented there.
Not only is Glasgow part of the equation at left-back, but Billy Turner, Tom Compton and perhaps even Nathane Muti are also in the running. Additionally, Denver reportedly tried to move Dalton Risner during the draft and may do so again during training camp or the preseason.
If Glasgow starts this season, it will likely be at left guard, but center is still a possibility. That’s without injury, which, knock on wood, the Broncos are having a good year health-wise.
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